Fully-autonomous vehicles are still a number of years away from consumers but dozens of carmakers and technology companies are testing self-driving fleets throughout the United States, including General Motors.
Through its Cruise Automation self-driving operations, GM is testing more than 50 autonomous Chevrolet Bolt models in San Francisco, Scottsdale and Detroit and as the video below shows, the automaker isn’t sticking to simple highway driving and is instead sending its Bolts into the crowded city streets of San Francisco at night.
With its myriad of stop signs and pedestrian crossings, the Californian city can prove difficult to navigate for even the most experienced of human drivers. However, the self-driving Bolt in question cruised around for almost 90 minutes with no human intervention needed, says Cruise Automation.
When watching the clip, it’s undeniably impressive how the Bolt deals with unexpected scenarios, such as a blue Chevrolet pickup pulling in front of hit and pedestrians crossing the street. One small hiccup appears to occur near the 2:45 mark where the Bolt stops behind a Toyota Prius pulled over and picking up passengers. Although the Prius soon accelerates away, the Bolt sits on a pedestrian crossing for almost 20 seconds, seemingly confused as to what it should do.
Last week, GM announced that it will expand its Cruise Automation division in the coming five years by adding over 1,100 jobs and investing $14 million in a new research and development facility.